Month: September 2020

Did I mention that I started a half hearted diet before going in for my op. Managed to lose a few ounces, perhaps because I didn’t have much appetite with the dodgy gall bladder. There was one thing on my mind though and I asked the nurses as I was waiting for my anaesthetic, ‘how big is the gall bladder and how much does it weigh?’. Sadly they didn’t know the answer. I was thinking that as it was filled with stones, albeit not very big, it was a bit like carrying a bag of marbles around. Got to weigh something worth losing.

Many public attractions are suffering due to the pandemic and not being able to easily open while maintaining social distancing. It has now been announced the Cheddar Caves and Gorge will be closing for the foreseeable future. They are looking at making staff redundant which will of course be mainly local people from the village of Cheddar. Very sad for another  community affected indirectly by C-19. I’ve never visited Cheddar Caves and I may never do so now. I don’t know why but whenever I hear or think about it, I always imagine the caves to be hewn out of cheese.

In Dorset in the village of West Stafford the owners of the local Manor House have decided to downsize and have already found a buyer for their lovely property. Now they will be auctioning much of the furniture which is valued at £30,000. It’s all being offered by Dukes Auctioneers in Dorchester but sadly only online. I would have loved to have had a nose at all the chattels from the manor house. The online sale ends on 24th January so I have plenty of time to see if I like anything enough to make an offer.

On the other side of the pond in Vermont a supermarket employee heard that a woman’s handbag had been snatched and he saw a man running across the car park with the bag in his hand. He gave chase and was able to retrieve the stolen item and return it to the owner but the thief got away. Police later managed to arrest the offender. You might think that he would have been congratulated for his quick thinking but no, he was fired from his job. Management said that he was fired due to safety issues while on company time. Employees are not allowed to lay hands on customers because the employer could be held responsible.

Meanwhile in Louisiana a man was arrested having been found with a hand gun, drug paraphernalia and weed. More guns were found in his truck. He was then taken to the sheriff’s office and strip searched. A .25 Titan pistol was found hidden in his rear end. The pistol had a 2.5 inch barrel and was more than 4 inches long. Ouch. The incident was reported in ‘The Smoking Gun’. I bet you’re all glad I’m back with my daily news update.  Good night my lovelies. 😴💤😴

Earlier in the week, when I was having a little break from blogging, something caught my attention in the news. It was talking about the royal great grandparents moving back to Windsor via Sandringham. We should be so lucky! The Queen is going to get back to work and Prince Philip is having to join her as he is in her ‘bubble’. Word has it that he doesn’t want to go but is being made to. I think Prince Philip has spent many a long year being made to do things he might rather have not done. What a strange life, loads of properties, servants, money and no real freedom although we will never know what really goes on behind castle walls.

In Weymouth this week a friendly Dolphin that locals have named Danny has been entertaining jet-skiers. Apparently he is often seen by water enthusiasts along the coast there. The jet-skiers said he was jumping five feet out of the water and smiling at them and wanting to play. Now from the photos I think it would take a big stretch of the imagination to think he was smiling. And, why do they jump to the conclusion that he was trying to play with them. The poor old dolphin might have been seriously irritated that they were jetting around his patch, revving their engines, frightening away the fish (Danny’s dinner) and maybe even spoiling his siesta. Just a suggestion, of course.

A long way away from our Jurassic coast and in Australia, three hump back whales have been spotted in a shark infested river. What were they doing there? no one seems to know. The suggestion is they took a wrong turn during their annual migration to Antartica. The whales are estimated to be between 10 and 12 metres long. Would be interesting to know which of the two creature would be more scared of the other. There has been a huge rise in the number of humpback whales in that part of the world following a successful conservation programme.

My very favourite story is the one about Dominic Raab’s bodyguard who left his gun on a plane at Heathrow. The foreign secretary had been to Washington DC to discuss the issues of Brexit and Northern Ireland. On landing back at Heathrow the protection officer was sorting passports and documents before leaving the plane and took his gun and holster off and laid them on the seat. He never gave them another thought and they were found by a cleaner. I’ve no idea if the officer had missed his gun. I wonder where they manage to find these clowns who can’t do their job properly. He has been asked to step down. And why do we need to discuss Brexit with US politicians? I hope it wasn’t the Trump.Nighty night campers. 😴💤😴

So I started writing this Day 173 last Monday but, although I had written a blog the day of my op and the two days following I suddenly ran out of energy and haven’t put pen to paper or even finger to keyboard since. It goes without saying that my lovely apartment is also beginning to look like a tip. I think the anaesthetic wore off completely, my cold and cough got worse and everything caught up so I took a break. Feeling a bit better now so here goes.

My grandsons Alex and Jack had decided to pop over today and take me out for a coffee in town. Couldn’t resist that one so off we went to Norwegian Wood which is about two minutes from my front door. Sort of famous cafe (at least in Bournemouth) which has been at the same premises since the 60s and named after a Beatles song. My boys wanted a proper breakfast and Jack was desperate for some hash browns. I don’t think I even knew what hash browns were when I was his age (19).  Its a proper cafe with plenty of choices on the menu and all nicely cooked. We were happy with our food and then came back home and chatted for a bit longer. We managed to bridge the generation gap for three hours and had plenty of tales to tell each other. Thank you boys.

You readers might know about a tv programme called Fresh Prince of Bel-Air starring Will Smith. I hate to admit my lack of knowledge but I’d never heard of it. Anyway for those of you who have and those who might want a little taste of luxury, the premises where it is filmed will be available on Airbnb for five night only in October. I’m not sure what you get for your money but it says $30 per night and it does mention use of the pool and food thrown in. However, the five nights offered are not consecutive so you would only be staying there for one night. It’s to celebrate thirty years of the programme being on air – how come I never heard of this in thirty years?

While I’ve been caged up at home this week getting my place untidy I have watched some tv including an old episode of The Great Celebrity Bake Off. The one I watched had Alex Jones from The One Show and a few others. Now I’m the first to admit that I’ve never been very fond of Ms Jones on her evening show to the extent that as soon as it comes on, my box goes off. I also think that she’s well and truly over paid for being so boring. She was an entirely different person on Bake Off, naturally funny, interacted well with the other contestants, an absolutely hopeless cook and a thoroughly nice person. I still won’t watch The One Show but she’s gone up in my estimation.

That’s it for my first night back. Thank you to those that missed me and asked after me, I know who you are !  Good night once again from nannyjune.com Sleep tight 😴💤😴

The young man who threw an illegal party in Nottinghamshire has written a letter to his neighbours apologising and said it should only have been 25 people but it got out of hand. Some neighbours apparently thought that the fine was a bit over the top and a lesser one would still have taught him a lesson. It may be that it will be paid by all six students sharing the house. I did think £10k was totally over the top although I might not have done if they lived next to me.

Etihad Airways are offering free insurance to its passengers if they contract Covid-19 while flying their airline. It will cover all medical expenses and quarantine costs. The cover will run for 31 days from when their trip starts.  I don’t quite understand how they can afford free cover during a pandemic when insurance in normal circumstances is expensive. I couldn’t quite see if you had to catch covid on one of their planes or just come down with it while you were travelling. It was once famously stated that there’s no such thing as a free lunch and I have to wonder about free insurance.

A woman in Pennsylvania found out when she was just seventeen that she had been born without a womb. She already knew then that one day she would like to have a family and was obviously very distraught at the news. She met and married a man who said that he didn’t mind and that maybe they could use a surrogate mother. She then read about uterus transplant and even more surprising found that her local hospital was looking at trialling the procedure. She applied, was accepted and when an organ became available it was transplanted into her. Less than one year later she became pregnant and now has a healthy baby boy. Isn’t modern medicine wonderful?

Gordon Ramsay has introduced a traditional English breakfast into his Savoy Restaurant. I would have thought that he would have had that on the menu in a London hotel from the start but it seems not. What is causing consternation is that the price will be £19 and in the photo it does look very basic. If you want to add any sides or an extra sausage, it will set you back another fiver. I definitely think for breakfast you might just as well go to Wetherspoon’s and get the same thing for a fiver and it is jolly good. If you like a full English that is.

A  naked man was spotted smashing straight through a house window yesterday in Grimsby, he rushed across the street covering his privates with a rug and shouting ‘help, I’ve been kidnapped’. A passer by said that he also had injured his hand and it might have been partly severed. All very dramatic. He rushed into a local convenience store seeking help and it turns out that the house he escaped from was a brothel. The man was taken to hospital and two men were later arrested.Something to dream about, nighty night. 😴💤😴

I have to say how shocked I was on Day 168 at how many naughty mummies had left the babies behind and in the strangest places. At the checkout in the supermarket? In the car 20 minutes away? And cars? left all over the place. Seems I have some very dodgy friends, thank goodness.

That very visionary designer and founder of Habitat Sir Terence Conran has died age 88. He loved, design, furniture, architecture and food. He was best known though for his home interior designs, mostly modern in style and minimalist. I bought several items in Habitat and am still using a cast iron pan that I must have purchased thirty years ago, my favourite pan still. I also have a Terence Conran coffee table that I purchased from David Mack in Westbourne when they were closing down. Love it. I’m always amazed at how much energy certain people have and how much they manage to fit into their lives. Sir Terence was certainly one of those and has left a lasting legacy. He started The Design Museum and influenced many new, young designers.

For the first time in fourteen years the jackpot has been won on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Mr Donald Fear showed no fear as he answered all questions without stumbling and only used one lifeline, the 50/50. A history teacher from Telford, he said he would continue teaching for one more year to help his students finish their A levels. His brother reached half a million last year. Apart from now being a new millionaire, he came across as a thoroughly nice person.

A 19 year old decided to host a party in Lenton Nottinghamshire last night and invited 50 friends. Community Protection Officers had called at the property and asked them to bid the friends goodbye and end the high jinks. The teenager refused and so the police arrived a short time later. They evicted all the visitors and fine the teenage host £10,000. If he doesn’t pay the fine he will have to appear in court. I’m not sure how you manage to get that amount of money from a teenager but he looks like being in debt for some time to come.

And to finish, something that might make you giggle. A prominent Ukrainian church leader who at the beginning of the crisis stated that Covid-19 was God’s punishment for sin, for the sinfulness of man and elaborated to say such as same sex marriages, has tested positive for the virus. He is being treated and is stable but perhaps a little sinful.

That’s it for now. Did I mention that I’m back home? Not feeling too bad and taking it easy. My daughters are only ten minutes away so if I need them they will be here. So goodnight from this sleepyhead. Stay safe and don’t go having big parties, you can’t afford it.   😴💤😴

I’m all ready for the off at 7 in the morning. No food after 2am, that’s easy I don’t normally eat anything till nearly mid-day. No coffee though, that’ll be hard and not even water after 6am. I’m not a morning person so the biggy will actually be getting up. Still I’ll be able to rest when I’m under the anaesthetic.

Unbelievably there is now a massive fire in the Beirut port where a month ago they had a gigantic explosion. About 100 firefighters were there trying to extinguish the flames. 190 people died last month and 1600 were injured, they really didn’t need this new disaster. Meanwhile in Oregon and California wild fires are burning an area of two million acres and the emergency services are so far unable to stop it. The residents are used to fires at this time of the year but have never before seen anything on this scale.

Schools are back and in Winchester a school bus tried to go under a bridge and didn’t make it. The top of the bus came off completely and glass was scattered everywhere injuring the children mainly on the top deck. Fortunately none of the children were fatally injured but seven had to be taken to hospital. Several more were treated at the scene. Witnesses say that the children were shouting to the driver that he couldn’t make it under the bridge but either he didn’t hear or didn’t listen. It was also reported that it was his first day either at the job or on that particular route. Either way he seems to have got lost  and taken the wrong road. The photos of the stricken bus are unbelievable, Not sure how the casualties were not worse.

Well that happened in Hampshire UK and New Hampshire US was also in the news today. They were having some elections over there to choose their governors and Congress. A local woman arrived to vote wearing a T-shirt that said McCain Hero, Trump Zero. An official told her she couldn’t vote wearing a piece of clothing featuring a political candidate (even though neither names were on the ballot that day). She just replied ‘do you want me to take it off then?’ and before the man had a chance to reply, she whipped off the offending item. Underneath she was naked, all the onlookers gasped but she just stepped into the booth and cast her vote. I’m sure it brightened everyone’s day.

And in Paris a student was barred from entering an art gallery because her dress was too low cut and showed off too much of her boobs. The gallery of course is full of nude paintings and I’m surprised, I thought the French and especially the Parisians were more open minded. Thats, all for now, not sure about tomorrow, maybe a quick note. So good night one and all.  😴💤😴

Thank you everyone for your good wishes and I can say that my day 1 of 2 in quarantine has gone by in a flash. My sister called from Australia so that was a good long catch up and I managed to keep busy doing almost nothing. Only tomorrow left now.

Headline in today’s paper asked ‘Why is Boris wearing a wheat sheaf?’. I looked at the photo and thought that some journalist was having a laugh about his hair cut. Then I realised that he was wearing a wheat sheaf badge in his label and it had nothing whatsoever to do with his bad hair cut. If you are wondering what it’s all about it’s on recommendation by the National Farmers’ Union to support British farmers. Most MPs were wearing a similar badge and it’s hoped that they will remember our food and farming standards ahead of trade talks with the US.

While I’m on the subject of dodgy looking blondes, The Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. A member of the Norwegian Parliament has made the nomination for his efforts in the Middle East. Mr Tybring-Gjedde said that the President should be considered for his work towards a peace agreement between the UAE and Israel. Mr T-G’s daughter who is also a member of the Norwegian Parliament disagreed. Anyway we won’t know if it gets anywhere until October 2021 by which time we might have all forgotten about him.

In Liverpool a boy starting secondary school had to go on his first day wearing his junior school uniform. His mum couldn’t afford to buy him new togs, especially the blazer which can be quite expensive. The local mums were very supportive and eventually the young man was kitted out properly for his new school. Enough money was raised to provide 300 uniforms for students who still don’t have one. A councillor said it was very sad to see that some families can’t provide the school clothes. I think it’s time that school uniforms were either made simpler and therefore more affordable or a supplier was found that could provide them at a lower price. Maybe give the contract to Primark for the whole country, no shortage of shops.

Passengers on the London underground were shocked to find out that their service was delayed because a mother had forgotten her baby and left him on the train in his pram. The mother quickly realised and she was soon reunited with her baby. Twitterers expressed their shock and couldn’t understand how anyone could possibly forget a baby. Well. I have to say it happens. I once went shopping with my baby in the pram. Parked it up outside the shop and arrived home alone. I only lived five minutes away and it was a quiet residential area in Madrid but really? I think I was going through a stressful time and if any of my kids want to know which one it was, I’m not telling. But I will say nighty night. Sleep tight.😴💤😴

I’ve had the Covid swab and it wasn’t bad. As someone said, it’s quick and it’s efficient. Over before I had time to think about it. Now I’m quarantined till I’ve had the op and then it’s upwards and onwards except for the fact that the rules on gatherings have been tightened. The list of what we can and can’t do will be published before the ruling becomes effective on Monday. Alan Sugar has been on some morning breakfast show and has said that everyone should go back to work and get the economy moving. He thought still working from home was a load of tosh.

I’m shocked to read that there were no paramedics on site at the Manchester Arena bombing. One arrived after 18 minutes and more after 40 minutes. How can an event with forty thousand attendees not have anyone there in case of an emergency. The injured were carried out on makeshift stretchers with only one actual stretcher being used. I’m not only shocked I actually feel bloody angry.

A 64 year old conman from Boscombe (next to Bournemouth for those who don’t know) is serving a jail sentence for conning elderly victims out of their savings. He promised to carry out work on their homes which was mostly unnecessary or not finished after payment had been received. He made over half a million pounds from his fraudulent activity and had been ordered to pay back a quarter of a million. Now his lawyer is claiming he’s suffering from dementia and can’t remember what he did with the money. How convenient is that?

A 16 year old Derby schoolgirl has been sent home on her first day back because teachers said her eyebrows were too dark and couldn’t be natural and her skin colour was fake tan. She had just come back from a holiday in Portugal where she claims she sunbathed and she has naturally thick and dark eyebrows. I must say they looked natural and she looked rather smart. I’m glad my granddaughter Alice got her eyebrows plucked and shaped before going back to her school. Very nice they looked too.

An 80 year old man went hiking in the Yorkshire Dales. He started out with a fellow hiker but during a storm they somehow were separated and our friend went off radar for three days. His family feared that he might have had an accident and was lying around somewhere or maybe had died and wouldn’t be found. Sixty local people were out looking for him to no avail. The police called a press conference which was held in a pub to make an appeal to help find him. Just as they were about to start the lost hiker made an appearance to the delight of family and friends. He had been found by a wildlife photographer and helped back to his family. He said he’d had three days of wild camping but when speaking on the phone to his wife he hung up before she had a chance to nag him. Bravery only goes so far.😴💤😴